The city of Keller is looking for the artist who painted several animals near the Town Center to expand the work to a mural.

Parks & Recreation Department staff stumbled upon a different kind of graffiti along the Keller trail system earlier this month.

The doe in the tunnel under the Bear Creek Parkway was the first of three animal portraits done by what appears to be the same artist.

"Parks Manager Gary Davis says he doesn't have the heart to paint over it, so the doe gets to stay," the city said in a Facebook post, adding that the artist should call the city about a mural in the tunnel.

A doe, armadillo and bird have appeared near the Keller Town Center and the city is trying to reach out to the artist.

((City of Keller/KXAS-TV (NBC5)))

Last week, an armadillo joined the doe and on Friday, a bird flew onto the scene.

"Two in one week? Our Mystery Artist is on a roll," the city said on Facebook. "P.S. We'd still like to meet you to discuss options for prepping the wall better etc. for your work. We're not sure who is more excited: the Parks folks or the Public Arts Board."

The paintings have been mostly well-received in the Facebook comments, though some people hope the artist remains anonymous. Others said it might be a slippery slope, and one man questioned whether he could paint anywhere as long as it was pretty.

"Just as a police officer has discretion in giving a speeder a ticket or not, ... the city is doing the same in this case," the city said in a reply. "This is the first time in the city's history the Parks department has decided not to cover an artist's work, and members of both the Parks and Public Arts boards have expressed support for additional pieces by this artist in the tunnel, further clarifying this situation as a unique one."

Graffiti such as this, the city added, is a Class C misdemeanor, equivalent to a traffic ticket.